The best city hikes and walks around Lake Gubishche

The fortress as a whole is very worth seeing, even if it would deserve better use to prevent it from being left to decay.

Protestant cathedral located on a Church Hill next to Orthodox, Catholic and Old Believer churches.

In the Jaunbūve district you will find many old wooden houses, some of which are brightly painted. Here you sometimes feel transported 150 years into the past.

Churches of four major religions in Latgale are located on Church Hill: Russian Orthodox, Catholic, Evangelical and Old Believers. All four are architectural gems and together form a fascinating ecumenical ensemble. On the tower of the Martin Luther Cathedral there is a viewing platform at a height of 40 meters.

The impressive two-storey building of the engineer arsenal is built close to the Alexander gate most probably from 1840 to 1844. The length of the Empire-style external façade of the three joint buildings is 275 m. Surface of the building is 7000 m2. The courtyard is 2000 m2 large. The former arsenal building is architectural monument of State significance. The building has preserved its ramps (rampants) going to the second floor of the building from the yard. The engineer arsenal was used to make and repair armament supplies, tooling for fortification and combat engineer measures. The building included paint, carpenter, wheel, turners, woodworking, locksmiths, casting, drawing, pattern and other shops. For the time being there is not enough information on the use of the building from 1918 to 1947. During the Soviet years the building was used as job training workshops and garages. Since 1993 the building is not used anymore and is decaying. It is expected that in future the building could house a museum of Daugavpils fortress history. Imperatora Street 8

Houses for officers were built in the 1820s-1830s on both sides of the Commandant’s house and the fortress garden. 1. Oficieru Street has still preserved two houses (No 2 and 8) also for officers at the commandant and committee of the military registration office, yet the architecture of these houses differs from that of other buildings. Officer Assembly with its own club and library was functioning in the fortress. In the 1920s-1940s the building was occupied by headquarters and other services of Zemgale division, different clubs were situated there as well. In order to view internal buildings of the citadel, choose the thematic route “Commandant’s Route” visible on the map that you can receive in Daugavpils Fortress Culture and Information Centre (Nikolaja Street 5). https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd

In the 1820s-1850s four spacious two-storey stone barracks to house soldiers were built not far from the fortress gates. Three of the buildings have also a semibasement floor that was used for kitchen, lavatory and washing rooms. Toilet blocks, utility rooms and wells were located in barrack courtyards. In the 1920s-1940s soldiers of Zemgale division regiments were lodged in these buildings. The premises were considerably rebuilt during the Soviet times to meet the needs of the aviation school cadets. A third floor was built on the Nicholas barrack (Nikolaja Street 2), while the new Nicholas barrack (Mihaila Street 11) was turned into a school canteen. Today these spacious buildings are not used. https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd

The similar-type Alexander and Constantine gates were built in 1820-1822 on the basis of the project presented by A. Shtaubert, the in-service architect at the Imperial Russia War ministry. All the fortress gates had to have this appearance. Though later the appearance of other two passageways was changed. The Alexander gate is directed at Saint Petersburg, while the Constantine gate led to a summer hospital and through it people could get on the old Riga road. Unfortunately in 1962 the gate named in honour of the vicegerent of the Kingdom of Poland Constantine was destroyed due to the reason that it was necessary to bring large-size equipment into the territory of the aviation school. Support elements ensuring additional fastening of closed gate wings from the inside have been preserved in the Alexander gate. https://rm.coe.int/16806f5dfd